6 Things You Need to Know About Digital Typography Before Designing a Logo

Your logo is often the first impression that someone has of
your company. However, it's more than just an introduction—logos tell a story
about a company. Not only does the font need to be legible, it also has to
align with the business brand, the color choices, and the design image. Because
a logo's font choice impacts what kind of story is told, having a basic
knowledge of digital typography is greatly beneficial to anyone designing a
logo.

Typography is essentially the art of designing and placing type--digital typography is just taking this art form into the digital realm. Before embarking on the difficult task of choosing the right font for your logo, get yourself familiar with these 6 basic digital typography tips:

1) TYPEFACE AND FONT ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS

The
term typeface is used to describe the creative, abstract design itself while a
font is the actual physical representation of the design. In other words, someone
designed the Helvetica typeface and we can use the Helvetica font on our
computers. Read
more on this distinction here.

Just
because fonts like Times New Roman and Arial are old standards, this doesn't
mean they aren't appropriate choices for your logo. They're legible, clear, and
when used well, they don't come off as dull or uninspired. After all, these
fonts are defaults for a reason.

3) DON'T USE MORE THAN TWO FONTS IN ONE DESIGN

More
than two fonts makes the logo look messy and thrown together. Two fonts,
however, provides a nice contrast. Consider using one font for your business
name and another for the slogan.

4) ONLY MIX CONTRASTING FONTS IN ONE DESIGN

The
contrast between a serif and sans serif font makes a design look fresh and
exciting. By the way, a serif font has small “feet" or little decorative
additions on the ends of the character strokes. Sans serif fonts do not have
these additions. Times New Roman is a serif font while Arial is sans serif.

Make
sure that you choose a design with a personality that accurately matches up
with your brand and mission. For example, Times New Roman has a
straightforward, business-like character. It's an apt choice for, say, an
insurance company. If an insurance company's logo used Comic Sans, which has a
more playful and unprofessional personality, this would be a confusing and altogether
ineffective message.